The History and Cultural Meaning of Tattoos
This paper traces the history of tattooing from its ancient Polynesian origins to its modern resurgence in Western mainstream culture. Beginning with an etymology of the word "tattoo" — derived from Polynesian onomatopoeia meaning "to strike twice" — the paper examines the three primary purposes of tattooing across cultures: decoration, spiritual protection, and identification. It then explores how tattooing became associated with sailors, the working class, and criminal organizations in Europe and the Americas, and how, beginning in the 1970s, adoption by white middle-class Americans and Europeans helped rehabilitate the practice's reputation. The paper also addresses tattooing's emergence as a fine art form and its partial reduction to a fashion accessory in contemporary consumer culture.
- Etymology and Definitions of the Word Tattoo: Two definitions of tattoo, noun and verb
- Polynesian Origins and Introduction to Europe: Onomatopoeic Polynesian roots, Captain Cook's role
- Cultural Purposes of Tattooing Across History: Decoration, spirituality, and identification across cultures
- Negative Associations and Social Stigma: Criminal, prison, and deviance associations worldwide
- Tattooing's Resurgence in Mainstream Western Culture: Middle-class adoption rehabilitated tattooing's reputation
- Tattooing as Art, Fashion, and Identity Today: Fine art influence, fashion trends, modern meanings
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper opens with a clear, focused thesis — that tattooing regained mainstream acceptance through its adoption by white middle-class culture in the 1970s — and consistently returns to this claim throughout.
- It grounds abstract cultural analysis in concrete examples, such as Tibetan monk tattooing ceremonies, Japanese Yakuza full-body pieces, and Russian prison tattoos, making broader arguments about stigma and identity tangible.
- The paper integrates primary reference sources (Webster's dictionary, Encyclopedia Britannica) alongside cultural scholarship (Demello, Atkinson) to support both definitional and analytical claims.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of historical progression as an organizing framework. Rather than presenting facts in isolation, the author traces tattooing's trajectory — from ancient spiritual and decorative use, through stigmatization, to modern revival — giving the argument a clear arc and showing how social attitudes shift over time in response to class dynamics and cultural appropriation.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with etymology and word definition, moves through Polynesian origins and European reintroduction, then surveys tattooing's purposes across cultures. It pivots to the sources of social stigma before spending its final sections on the 1970s resurgence, the influence of fine art, and the tension between deeper meaning and modern fashion. The conclusion returns to the thesis, tying class dynamics to cultural rehabilitation.
Etymology and Definitions of the Word Tattoo
The word tattoo carries both stigma and history. The practice itself has been around for thousands of years, and throughout human history, tattooing has survived waves of popularity and disapproval. Despite hundreds of years of negative connotation, tattooing has made a comeback in modern times. Over the past thirty or so years, tattooing has begun to regain its position within the structure of society due to its acceptance into mainstream white middle-class culture beginning in the 1970s.
The word tattoo actually has two entirely different meanings. The first definition, though older, has nothing to do with the modern use of the word. This definition describes "tattoo" as a call or signal for soldiers in order to prepare for battle (Babcock, 1976). This is not, however, the definition that has survived through the generations to carry such a stigma today.
The definition the modern world associates with tattoo is that of "to mark or color the skin by pricking in coloring matter so as to form indelible marks or figures or by production of scars" (Babcock, 1976). The word can be used as a noun or a transitive verb. As a noun, it refers to the actual product of the tattooing process — the mark that results from the procedure. As a transitive verb, it indicates the process by which that mark is created. Because the definition specifically describes a tattoo as a mark, it functions as a form of expressing one's identity.
Polynesian Origins and Introduction to Europe
The word tattoo is a true example of onomatopoeia. Its original source lies in various Polynesian languages (Random House, 2006). According to Encyclopedia Britannica, these languages held similar pronunciations for a word that essentially meant "to strike twice" (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2007). The Marquesan word "tatu" or "tattow" derived from the sound that the original method of tattooing produced. The Tahitian "tatu" similarly signifies a mark on the skin. The English version of the word was first introduced into the English language sometime between 1760 and 1770.
The word first appeared in an English context in the journal writings of Captain James Cook following his first encounter with Polynesian tribes during a trip to the Marquesan Islands in 1769. After initial contact with Polynesian tribes late in the eighteenth century, Cook brought the word back to European customs. His sailors, however, are the ones responsible for reintroducing the actual practice of tattooing to the European mainland. Tattooing had been entirely absent from Europe for centuries and had been nearly forgotten. Upon its reintroduction, the practice once again gained popularity, but was associated with sailors and the working class. This association also carried weight in the Americas, where tattooing remained a symbol of the working class until the late twentieth century.
Cultural Purposes of Tattooing Across History
The practice of tattooing has served the same broad purposes throughout thousands of years of its existence: decorative, spiritual, and identifying functions (Demello, 2000). For millennia, people have adorned their bodies with intricate designs for decorative or cosmetic purposes. Tribes all over the world have developed unique designs that signify beauty and elaborate forms of ornamentation. This tradition continues today as one of the main reasons individuals seek tattoos.
Spiritual motivations have also been long associated with tattooing. In Tibet, tattoos are given during a yearly festival to provide spiritual protection to the recipient (Demello, 2000). These tattoos have been administered for thousands of years by monks using the traditional tattooing method. The monk determines the design of the tattoo by reviewing the person's spiritual protector, and the tattoo is thereafter believed to bring enhanced protection from guardian spirits. This is just one example among many found across the globe associating spirituality with tattooing.
Identification is another major motivation for tattooing — and one of the oldest. South Indonesian tribes such as the Mori use tattoos both to identify themselves and to mark the accomplishments of their warriors. In previous generations, tattoos were administered when a warrior slew a worthy opponent (Demello, 2000). Tattoos are also used as identifying marks signaling the transition into manhood or womanhood across a number of cultures worldwide.
References
Atkinson, Michael. "Tattooing and Civilizing Processes: Body Modification as Self-Control." The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology. Vol. 41. 2004.
Babcock, Phillip (ed). Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language. G. & C. Merriam Company Publishers. Massachusetts. 1976.
Britannica eds. Encyclopedia Britannica. 15th ed. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. 2003.
Carroll, Lynne. "Body Piercing, Tattooing, Self-Esteem, and Body Investment in Adolescent Girls." Adolescence. Vol. 37. 2002.
Demello, Margo. Bodies of Inscription: A Cultural History of the Modern Tattoo Community. Duke University Press. 2000.
Random House. Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Random House. 2006.
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